a BIG Lentil Salad

I couldn’t write a blog post about a salad and not include this Seinfeld reference. The big salad episode of Seinfeld was a big deal in the salad world, almost as big as Soup Nazi was for the soup world. If you don’t remember this iconic/ probably only sitcom salad moment here it is:

It’s funnier in context.

Ok back to this lentil salad. In my garden that I mentioned in my Boiled Artichoke recipe, I had huge heads of butter lettuce growing that would wilt within days of picking, so I would often eat a whole head of lettuce in one sitting because I didn’t want it to go to waste! I would make these BIG salads in metal mixing bowls (pictured),plop myself in front of the couch and chew for 30 minutes straight. My room mate would make so much fun of me for how comically large the salad was, but you genuinely need to eat that much to substitute it for a meal! Especially in an all-lettuce salad, adding some substance such as lentils, avocado, or meat/dairy is a must.

a BIG saladmixed + dressed

I opted for the pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joes. They are super convenient to keep on hand whenever you want to throw lentils on a salad or make a soup heartier.These lentils are perfectly cooked, well seasoned, and come in a huge packet… so if you’re cooking for one expect to have lentils for the next 4+ meals. I opened this lentils package during finals week when I was trying to use up whatever I had in the fridge, and I ended up eating different variations of cold lentils almost every day in the library… I still associate the taste of lentils with the library, so needless to say I won’t be purchasing these for a while.

Other than the lettuce and lentils, I threw in whatever veggies I had on hand: cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and avocado. I dressed the salad with a hummus vinaigrette, which added a nice creamy finish to the salad. There is something so mindless and satisfying about watching TV and eating, so go make yourself a BIG salad and kick back with some Seinfeld.